The Pistons are treading water as they wait for the return of their superstar. However, Blake Griffin’s injury history and age could point to the beginning of the end.
The Detroit Pistons are off to as good a start as fans could hope for without their All-NBA starter Blake Griffin.
Having already won more games without Griffin than they did all of last season, the Pistons are staying afloat – but for how long?
The team announced just before the season tipped off that their lone All-Star in 2018 would miss the beginning of the regular season for an issue with his left hamstring and “posterior knee soreness.”
This is the same leg that forced Griffin to miss time at the end of last season and ultimately dash the team’s chances at keeping up with the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round of the playoffs.
The History
Despite playing 75 games before the playoffs in the 2018-19 season, his injury history is well-documented from the beginning of his NBA career.
Griffin missed his entire rookie season after breaking his left kneecap before the regular season started. He came back to win Rookie of the Year in his first season of play, but the injuries didn’t stop.
He would go on to miss at least 15 games per season in five of the next seven seasons.
Knee injuries, ankle injuries, the punch heard ’round the world – all past (some present) injuries for 30-year-old All-Star entering the end of his prime.
There is a chance Griffin never comes back the same from this nagging leg injury the same. There’s always the possibility it’s something that sticks with him for the remainder of his career.
I must stress that none of that has been reported anywhere, but it is not outside the realm of possibility.
If that is the case, the Pistons could be in for a transition period that will determine the direction of the franchise.
They will have three choices:
- Stay afloat with Blake
- Stay afloat without Blake
- Break it all down and start from scratch